Offshore Wind Farms to Power 1/5th of Europe by 2030

By 2030, offshore wind farms may provide nearly one fifth of the European Union's electricity, making a huge jump from the 1.5 gigawatts they generate today to a staggering 150 gigawatts. The encouraging new stats were found in a recent projection from the European Wind Energy Association--which definitively casts offshore wind power as an integral part of Europe's energy future. According to Bloomberg,

Offshore wind may provide as much as 17 percent of European Union electricity demand by 2030, surging from almost nothing now as the bloc promotes renewable energy.

As of now, only 0.3% of the EU's electrical demands are met by offshore wind. But the report predicts that if the current course is maintained, the creation of a multi-billion euro market is inevitable.

With 150 gigawatts of offshore wind power, the EU would avoid 290 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise be generated from fuel sources like coal. And as of now, there are already offshore projects planned in 15 EU member nations that would create 100 gigawatts.

It's encouraging news indeed for Europe's cleaner energy future--and with inland wind and solar projects still expanding at a fairly rapid clip as well, it can certainly be said that the EU is making fine progress in phasing out dirty power.